Rockets' master plan doesn't end at signing a big free agent

Two Los Angeles-based free agents - the Clippers' Chris Paul, left, and the Lakers' Dwight Howard - will get the Rockets' attention come July 1.

Photo: Mark J. Terrill, STF

The Rockets' offseason plans begin with their pursuit of a top free agent, starting with Lakers center Dwight Howard, but they don't end there.

The moves they hope will come next will be a major part of their sales pitch, a person with knowledge of that part of their presentation said.

The Rockets intend to describe details about their plans after signing a free agent, according to the individual familiar with their strategy, including a shift to the pursuit of veterans rather than the sort of young prospects they have collected in recent seasons and a willingness to spend well into luxury tax territory.

Howard and Clippers guard Chris Paul are considered the top players to become free agents July 1. Teams cannot talk to them or their representatives until then.

In addition to the expected discussions about their current roster and coaching staff, the Rockets intend to emphasize that after this season, they will have all of their first-round picks and full mid-level exceptions along with several young assets who could be dealt to upgrade the roster with more veterans.

Exceptions in offing

If the Rockets sign a top free agent, their payroll soon would move between the salary cap and the luxury tax, giving them mid-level exceptions, worth roughly $23 million over four years, beginning next summer.

By going over the salary cap this season, they will be able to offer an exception worth $5.4 million over two years, enough that on a team with one of the top free agents they could attract the sort of solid backup wing they would need after trimming the roster to have sufficient cap room for their free-agent pursuit.

The Rockets have told agents for Francisco Garcia, Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks that they will not pickup contract options this month. That exception and veteran's minimums could be used to shift to a much more experienced roster if the Rockets land a top free agent, a plan they apparently will make a significant part of their presentation.

The Rockets have paid the luxury tax just once in the 15 seasons with the system, but according to the individual with knowledge of the plan, they also will emphasize that they would be willing to pay the tax to keep a winning team together.

They would like to avoid that in order to keep their mid-level exceptions, but part of their free-agent pitch will be to assure they would pay the tax if necessary if they want to keep players scheduled to be free agents in 2015, including Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverley.

If they exceed the tax, the exception they could use would be worth roughly $10 million over three years, with the Rockets planning to emphasize that even if paying the tax, they would intend to use that exception.

Previous strategy

In addition to looking at plans after signing a top free agent, the Rockets will cite their strategy when attempting to build around Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming as an example of how they would alter their recent strategy of collecting young prospects to instead fill the roster with veterans. In those seasons, they traded first-round picks for Shane Battier and Ron Artest and a first-year player for the rights to Luis Scola.

A top free agent would be the sixth max contract player signed by the Rockets in the current system, joining Steve Francis, McGrady, Yao and James Harden. McGrady and Harden were signed to max extensions shortly before their first games with the Rockets.

Jonathan Feigen has been the Rockets beat writer since 1998 and a basketball nut since before Willis Reed limped out for Game 7. He became a sports writer because the reporter that was supposed to cover the University of Delaware basketball team decided to instead play one more season of college lacrosse and has never looked back.

Feigen, who has won APSE, APME and United States Basketball Writers Association awards from El Campo to Houston, came to Texas in 1981 to cover the Rice Birds, was Sports Editor in Garland before moving to Dallas to cover everything from the final hurrah of the Southwest Conference to SMU after the death penalty.

After joining the Houston Chronicle in 1990, Feigen has covered the demise of the SWC, the rise of the Big 12 and the Rockets at their championship best.